tor·ment
ˈtȯr-ˌment 
1
: extreme pain or anguish of body or mind : agony
She wrung her hands piteously together, looking like a soul in torment.—
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery2
: a source of vexation or pain
Love is a delight; but hate a torment.—Herman Melville
Herman Melville… the twin torments of his probable manic depression and chronic stomach pains.—Neal Karlen
Neal Karlen3
: the infliction of torture (as by rack or wheel)
tor·ment
tȯr-ˈment
ˈtȯr-ˌment
ˈtȯr-ˌment
tormented; tormenting; torments
1
: to cause severe usually persistent or recurrent distress of body or mind to
cattle tormented by flies
tormented by doubt
She liked me, but she laughed at me, and tormented me …—Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
tormented
adjective
… Emily—who is easily one of the most tormented characters of the show …
—Rowan Born
Rowan Born
The Witch makes the mundane sinister, from the tormented shapes of the corn husks in the field to the weird glow of pewter by candlelight.
—Katy Waldman
Katy Waldman
Examples of torment in a Sentence
Noun
No one could understand his inner torment.
After years of torment, she left her husband.
The mosquitoes were a constant torment.
Verb
Not knowing where she was tormented him.
he was tormented by nightmares about the accident
Recent Examples on the Web
Peter Tonguette, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Mar. 2025
The clip showed life before the tragedy — carpool rides and sing-a-longs with the kids as well as festive house parties with the neighbors gathered together — followed by Céline finding her son Max seconds too late, and the torment both families faced as a result.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 19 Mar. 2025
Regina Kim, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
The story follows the three Maxwell siblings who grew up as the only Black family in a gated Dallas neighborhood, also tormented by strange and unexplainable demonic happenings in their house.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torment
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Noun
Alec speaks plainly of his state of torment since the incident, and Hilaria speaks repeatedly of the losses of Hutchins’s family, including her now-motherless son.
—Peter Tonguette, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Mar. 2025
The clip showed life before the tragedy — carpool rides and sing-a-longs with the kids as well as festive house parties with the neighbors gathered together — followed by Céline finding her son Max seconds too late, and the torment both families faced as a result.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
Detective Lee Yeon-hui (played by Shin Hyun-been of Hospital Playlist and Reborn Rich) is assigned to the case and also chases after the suspect, all the while being tormented by visions of her dead sister.
—Regina Kim, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
The story follows the three Maxwell siblings who grew up as the only Black family in a gated Dallas neighborhood, also tormented by strange and unexplainable demonic happenings in their house.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for torment
Cite this Entry
“Torment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/torment. Accessed 6 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
torment
1 of 2 noun
tor·ment
ˈtȯr-ˌment
1
: extreme pain or distress of body or mind
2
: a cause of suffering in mind or body
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